You Want Massage!?

After the lazy pace of island life, Hua Hin has certainly been a shock to the system.

If you're looking for the backpacker lifestyle, you certainly won't find it here! Instead, what you will find is lively, overpriced bars that stay open until the early hours, extravagant hotels, massage parlours on every corner, unbelievable seafood, a charming night market and an old white man attached to a pretty young thai everywhere you look.

It really is quite a funny place and somewhere I have enjoyed exploring, despite the fact its slightly off the tourist route! The great thing about travelling alone is that there are no restrictions. I've found myself walking aimlessly around the town most days, with no real purpose. Yesterday for example, I sat on the pier and watched the fishing boats come in. I watched the men unload the fish, wash them, sort them into crates and distribute them to various restaurants. I found I had been sat watching this process for almost 3 hours and wasn't entirely sure why.

The town is charming and a particular highlight has been the night market which goes on late into the evening. There's a cute little band right at the entrance with a Thai woman singing covers such as Jessie J's 'Price Tag' which is particularly entertaining, and once you step into the bustling atmosphere of the market itself your immediately taken in by the various smells and sights. The food vendors are so cheap compared to the pricey beach-front restaurants and the seafood is incredible with a great choice of lobster, crab, shrimp, prawns, squid, barracuda, red snapper.... The list goes on!
The stalls are also cheaper than on the islands (I hear the further north you go the cheaper it gets) and there is much more variety. Whereas on the islands they seem to only have one supplier with the same products on every stall, here in Hua Hin everything is different and very often hand-made or personalised.

There aren't many people of my age in Hua Hin, but I've found this quite refreshing. As mentioned previously, it seems to have a bit of a reputation for old white men finding young thai wives.
One massage place next to my guesthouse seems to have the same daily routine. In the mornings as I walk to the beach, the group of women in the shop are putting on their make up and positioning themselves on the steps outside. As I walk back later in the day, they're still there. They ignore me, but cue the 40+ white man and their faces light up as they yell 'you want massageeee??'
I'm not sure what I think of it really!

Tomorrow I leave Hua Hin and head up to Kanchanaburi - my final destination. I've booked into a small bungalow on the River Kwai so I'm waving goodbye to my little bit of luxury here and look forward to being back on the backpacker trail!
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